One of the distinguishing features of Betty was the row of three welded on patches at the bow. These might have been welded on to cover some sort of damage and, after some years, were looking a bit unsightly.

First one was cut out, then the second, and now all three have been removed to be replaced with new inserts. This gives a much smoother line and means that when it’s all painted it will look fantastic.

After considerable microdermoabrasion, or shot blasting, this is the nautical equivalent of a nose job.

The arial photos took some ingenuity and even more acrobatics to take (not mine I hasten to add!).

Yesterday was a truly miserable day for all things boat related. That said the welders were pushing on despite the sideways wind and rain.

The stern is blasted and the first few inserts have been put in place.

Now for planning how to jack up and reinstate the front deck.

I can’t take credit for either the hard work, the photos or even the slightly lame pun in the title. All credit to Toby the welder.

Lots of hard work to get to this point in the front space. Cutting out the diesel tank, scraping out 90 years of rust and muck, cutting out the perished metal, scabbling, dropping out the bottom plates, Shotblasting and then welding in the new sections. Phew. Amazing how much better it looks!

The colour inside is Shrew’s Eyelid by Farrow and Ball (also known as jotun shop primer).

ST KATHERINE’S DOCK
PLUS: very central and well kept
NEGGIES: bit of a goldfish bowl and no actual river views
SCHWEFFINESS SCORE: 8/10 I shall need a tanned deckhand called Brad wearing a polo shirt and chino shorts.

Despite having lived in London for nearly ten years, to my shame I have never been to St Katherine’s Dock. Turns out that it’s actually rather nice – despite the dominance of high street chain restaurants – and, on a sunny day, had a schweffy holiday feel. Think New England yacht club.

Moorings for larger boats are, unfortunately, quite rare and it was suggested that it was a bit of a one in one out situation. The mooring year runs April to April with offers to extend to current residents made in nov-dec. Therefore if anything were to come up, it would be December-January.

The dock currently houses a real mix of boats and it was a good opportunity to do some rubbernecking and try and pin out what styles and structures I like and what I’m less keen on.

THUMBS UP: semi-covered outdoor space
THUMBS DOWN: blue. Don’t really like it as a colour… Have a feeling that this could be a problem with all things boating.

THUMBS UP: railings, lots of lovely railings. Metres of glass making the most of the deck and good outside space with original looking decks. Also the all important curve to the roof.
THUMBS DOWN: it looked stunning from the bow-port angle, hideous from the back.

THUMBS UP: like the extra stepped up windows and the mix of materials
THUMBS DOWN: don’t like cream either

THUMBS UP: again, love railings
THUMBS DOWN: again, no to cream

A new project to go alongside the boat. Bought on eBay. Just needs to be towed to the site and a little shotblasting and welding. She’s a beauty!

  I had to put together a quick synopsis of the project and outline of what I am doing. Thought it would be worth re-posting here: “The Beta III project came about initially as I was exploring ways to live in London with more light and a sense of space. I had toyed with the idea of living afloat for a while and then finally thought to go take a look at some boats for sale. While these were good, the layout wasn’t great and often the finish was to other people’s taste. This put me on the path of finding out whether boats still existed in a more unfinished state ready for me to put my own mark on. This is where I hit upon Beta III. I hot footed it down to Rye to take a look, convincing myself that at worst it would be a fun day by the sea. Before I knew it, I was sitting in the cab of a van in the middle of an ostrich farm, shaking hands to buy the boat.

Ben – from Liquid Highway – is proving quite the font of knowledge for all things Thames boat related. He had saved these images from when Beta III was for sale in 2011.

I am guessing this may have been when Neil – the previous owner – bought it in Canvey Island. The upvc windows were definitely the selling point!!!

Not much boat left. Now to blast the inside before it gets welded.

Commentary and photos from The Riveted Narrowboat Company…